off the ball
off the ball — 慣用語
1. In team sports like football, basketball, or rugby, describes actions or events
無球；非持球
無球狀態下的動作或犯規
In team sports like football, basketball, or rugby, describes actions or events that happen away from the player who currently has the ball — often used when discussing fouls, tactics, or movement that the match officials may not notice because their attention is on the ball.
Defender Diarra shoved the striker off the ball while the referee was watching the play.
後衛 Diarra 在裁判觀看比賽進行時，將前鋒推離了持球位置。
verb + opponent + off the ball (physical contact)
Coach Kim praised the team's off-the-ball movement in the second-half analysis.
Kim 教練在中場分析時，特別稱讚了球隊的無球跑動。
hyphenated compound: off-the-ball + noun (tactical)
Midfielder Chen and defender Oliveira clashed off the ball near the corner flag.
中場 Chen 和後衛 Oliveira 在角球旗附近發生了無球衝突。
The television replay showed a clear off-the-ball foul that the referee had missed.
電視重播畫面顯示了一次明顯的無球犯規，而裁判當時沒有注意到。
- away from the ball
a non-idiomatic paraphrase that carries the same meaning but sounds less natural in commentary
- off-ball
a shortened compound form used especially in basketball and American football analysis
- without possession
formal or technical term used in coaching manuals rather than commentary
- on the ball
describes a player who is alert and in control; opposite in literal focus but not a direct antonym
- in possession
describes the player currently holding or controlling the ball
文法句型
off the ball (adverbial)
off-the-ball + noun (compound modifier)
用法筆記
Common in live sports commentary and match analysis, especially when discussing fouls that the referee did not penalise because their focus was on the player with the ball. When used before a noun, the phrase is usually hyphenated (an off-the-ball incident). Not used in sports like tennis or baseball where players cannot physically interact away from the ball.